Principles For Mobile Marketing Success

Most marketers know that there are opportunities for them to engage consumers on mobile devices: consumers are increasingly buying smartphones, using them more frequently, and using them as a supplemental resource for content and communication. So it’s great to see that marketer spend in mobile is increasing. However, we find that most efforts still treat mobile as a translation of PC-based campaigns, or are otherwise experimental. And while it’s smart to start with those kinds of programs, we think it’s important that marketers begin to evolve their mobile marketing strategies so their programs can be as sophisticated as their customers.

In our latest report, we’ve identified a few steps you can take to move your mobile marketing strategy forward:

1) Know what phase of mobile marketing evolution you are in.To get where you’re going, you first have to know where you are. We’ve has outlined five phases of mobile marketing evolution and the accompanying approach, resources, goals, and tactics for each so that you can see which phase you are in today: Foundation, Experimentation, Device Strategy, Channel Strategy, and Comprehensive Strategy.

a. Immediacy: Provide content that is timely and actionable in the moment.

b. Simplicity: Provide programs elements that are easy to see and navigate on a mobile phone.

c. Context: Send relevant messages based on time, location, and mobile behaviors.

3) Work with the right partner to enhance your strategy. Mobile is still emerging as part of the interactive marketer’s toolbox and that means there’s still a lot of learning to be done. We suggest that marketers grow their internal expertise by partnering with one of two types of partners: 1) A digital agency that excels in mobile marketing and can help guide your thinking and integrate your mobile strategy with other efforts, or 2) a specialist that can help you with mobile-specific tactics, such as a 2D bar code or SMS campaign.

If you’re a Forrester client, you can see all the details in this report. In the meantime, I’d love to know what phase of mobile marketing your organization is in, and how quickly you think you’ll need to move to the next one to meet the needs of your customers.